Engine-starter.



V. BENUIX.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION min Amma. 915.

1,27 6,862. Patented Aug., 27, 1918.

UNITED STATES VINCENT BENDIX, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ENGINE-STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Allg'. 27, 1918.

Application led April 26, 1915. Serial No. 24,030.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VINCENT BENDIX,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new' and useful Improvements in Engine-Starters, of which the following is a specification. l

My invention relates to a starter for an engine such as a gas engine and the like and the object thereof is to provide' a simple, efcient and reliable dev-ice of this character operated by a prime mover of any kind such, for instance, as an electric motor. My

- starter is of that type characterized by a screw-shaft'or the like operated by a prime mover indirectly by gearing from the armature shaft and having mounted thereon a driving member' in the form of a pinion adapted to travel longitudinally on the screw-shaft and to be automatically meshed with some member of the engine and to be thereupon driven or rotated for rotating such engine member. Thereafter the pinion is adapted vto be automatically demeshed .from such engine member when the engine operates on its own power and to travel longitudinally out of the screw-shaft back to its home position. Thaparticular object .of this invention is to provide a construction 30 concerned more particularly with the screwshaft and the gearing with the motor whereby the screw-shaft is capable of a longitudinal movement with respect to such l:gearing in which the screw shaft is mounted to slide.

In the drawing the iigurepis' a sectional elevation of a structure embodying my invention.

Referring to the particular embodiment of my invention as shown in the drawing the prime moyer is here an electric motor 1 whose armature lshaft is extended to form. the driving shaft 2. To the outer end of this shaft is secured a driving pinion 3 meshing with a gear 4. The motor is preferably mounted in a frame or casing 5 which incloses the starter mechanism or transmission and also provides a bearing 6 for the inner end of the screw-shaft hereinafter described. j

The screw-shaft 7 is screw-threaded at its intermediate portion, its inner end being cylindrical and having twoy different diameters, the outermost plain portion4 7 a being of the smaller diameter and the innermost plain portion 'Ib being of the larger diameter.

This screw shaft has separate and smaller screw-threads 8 at its outer end screwing into a bushing 9 mounted in an outboard bearing 10 of a casing 11 which is secured to the cas- Aina 5.

In the broader aspect of my invention this bushing may be considered as part `of the screw shaft,-providing at that end a plain portion similar to that at the other end thereof, these two end plain portions being journaled in the bearings lOand 16.

A pinion 12 which constitutes the driving member of thestarter mechanism is screwthreaded upon the intermediate screwthreaded portion of the shaft'7 and is adapt,- ed to engage a rotatable member connected` with the engine to be started. In the present instance such rotatable member is a circular rack 13 secured to .or forming a part of the fiy-wheel 14 of the engine.

The screw shaft has a yielding driving connection with the driving gear 4 and it is also mounted therein as to be capable of a slight longitudinal movement forfa purpose'hereinafter explained. The innermost cylindrical section 7a of the screw shaft passes centra-ily through the driving gear 4 which is mounted to slightly oscillate thereon and through which the screw-shaft is adapted to slide longitudinally to a slight extent. The outermost end of this portion or section 7 a of the screw shaft is supported by and arranged to slide in the bearing 6. This movement is limited by contact between screw-shaft with the end ofthe bearing 6.

The yielding driving connection between the gear 4 and the screw-shaft consists of a spring l5 coiled around the larger portion or section 7 b and secured or anchored at its ends tto the gear and screw-shaft respectively. The inner end of the spring is provided with a loop or eye 16 which engages a pin 17 projecting laterally from the outer s lde -of the gear 4. The other end of the sprmg terminates in a loop or eye 18 which is anchored to a stud 19` screwing into the screwshaft. It will be understood that the motion of the prime mover' is transmitted from the armature shaft 2 to the screw shaft or left-hand position on the screw shaft instead of lits position of mesh with the fly-` wheel, as shown in the drawing, and .assuming that the electric motor has just been started, the screw-shaft is rotated through the driving connections just described. The pinion 12 will thereupon be advanced to the right'longitudinally of the screw shaft and will mesh with the fly wheel 14. When the pinion is in full mesh land its longitudinal movement has been arrested by the thrust collar 9EL forming a part of the bushing 9 it will be rotated by the' screw shaft and consequently the engine will be rotated. When the engine begins to run on its own power and the fly wheel 14 is thereupon rotated at an increased speed, the pinion 12 will be automatically demeshed by being moved to the left longitudinally of the screwshaft. After moving a slight distance away from the fly wheel after such demeshing, the pinion will momentarily stop in its longitudinal movement and will rotate with the screw shaft. When the screw shaft has slowed down somewhat the pinion will thereupon move longitudinally back to its home position.

In the event that in the longitudinally advanced movement of the pinion 12,1. its teeth should not register with the teeth of the Hy wheel, the screw-shaft is capable of yielding slightly 'toward the left in the manner above explained. Owing to this arresting of the pinion which is thereby cushioned by the yielding movement of the shaft, such pinion will start to turn and thereupon the teeth will be brought vinto register and a complete and proper meshing thereupon assured. This yielding of the screw-shaft cushions the Contact between the pinion and the engine member and prevents shock or jar of contact between said parts.'

The yielding drivingeconnection possesses the practical advantage of compensating for the variable engine speed caused by the operation of the engine at the compression points and consequently any possible vibration of the pinion 12 on the screw shaft due to this variation in speed is cushioned and rendered immaterial in vpractice if any such vibration takes place at all, besides which j the starting shock is cushioned.

I claim:

1. A starter for engines comprising a shaft having an intermediate screw-threaded portion, a driving device which is screw-threaded upon the shaft and adapted to'travel longitudinally thereon and to engage a part of the engine t0 be driven, a driving ear which is mounted on the screw-shaft anA in which the latter is adapted to slide, and a yieldin driving connection between said gear an the shaft. l

2. -A starter for engines comprising a shaft having an intermediate screw-threaded por- -latters endwise movement, and a yielding driving connection between said gear and the shaft.

3. A starter for engines comprising a shaft having an intermediate screw-threaded por-` tion, a driving device which is screw-threaded upon the shaft and adapted to travel lo'ngitudinally thereon and to engage a part of the engine to be driven, a driving gear -which is loosely mounted on the screw-shaft, a projection on one side of the gear, a projection on the shaft and a vspring coiled around the shaft and having its ends anchored yto said projections:

4. A` starter for engines comprisingV a shaft having an intermediate screw-threaded portion, a driving device which is screwthreaded upon the shaft and adapted to travel longitudinally thereon and to engage a part of the engine to be driven, a driving gear which is mounted on the screw-shaft and in which the latter is adapted to slide, a casing having a bearing which supports ,one end of the shaft and in which the latter is adapted to slide, and a yielding driving connection between said gear and the shaft.

5. A starter for engines comprising a shaft having an intermediate screw-threaded portion, a driving device which is screw-threaded upon the shaft and adapted to travel 1ongitudinally thereon and to engage a part vof theengine to be driven, said shaft having at one end two cylindrical portions of different diameters, the outermost 4being thesmaller, a driving gear which is mounted on such outermost portion and in which the latter is adapted to slide, and a yielding driving co'inection between' said gear and the shaft.

6. Astarter for engines comprisinga shaft having an intermediate screw-threaded portion, a driving device which is screw-threaded upon the shaft and adapted to travel longitudinally thereon and to engage a part of the engine to be driven, said shaft having at one end two cylindrical portions of'different diameters, the outermost being the smaller, a driving gear which is mounted on such outermost portion and in which the latter is adapted to slide, and a yielding driving connection between said gear and the shaft, comprising a spring coiled around the cylindrical portion of the larger diameter and secured at its ends to the'gear and shaft respectively.

7 A starter foreng'ines comprising a shaft `having an intermediate screw-threaded porof the engine to be driven, said shaft having at one end two cylindrical portions of different diameters, the outermost being the I smaller, a driving gear which is mounted on such outermost portion and in which the lat- -ter is adapted to slide, and a yielding driving connection between said gear and the shaft, comprising a spring coiled around the cylindrical portion of the larger diameter, a projection on one face of the gear, and a stud on the shaft, the ends of the spring being anchored to the projectionand stud respectively.

8. A starter for engines comprising a shaft having plain bearing ends and an intermediate screw-threaded portion, a driving member screw-threaded upon such threaded portion, a gear mounted on the plain portio'n of the shaft, and a yielding driving connection between said gear and shaft.

9. Astarter for engines comprisinga shaft having plain bearing ends and an intermediate screw-threaded portion, a driving member screw-threaded upon, such threaded portion, an electric motor, a driving pinion on the armature shaft thereof, a gear meshing with said pinion and mounted on a plain portion of the shaft, and a yielding driving connection between said gear and shaft.

10. A starter for engines comprising a shaft` mounted vat its ends for longitudinal and rotary movement and having plain portions and an intermediate screw-threaded portion, a driving member screw-threaded upon such threaded portion, a gear loosely mounted on a plain portion of the shaft, and means for transmitting the power of the gear to the shaft.

`11. A starter for engines comprising a shaft mounted at its ends for longitudinal and rotary movement and having plain portions and an intermediate screw-threaded portion, a driving member screw-threaded upon such threaded portion, a gear loosely mounted on a plain portion of the shaft, and a yielding driving connection between the gear and shaft. l

12. A starter for enginescomprising a shaft mounted at its ends for longitudinal and rotary movement and having plain portions :and an intermediate screw-threaded portion, a driving member screw-threaded upon such threaded portion, a gear loosely mounted on a plain portion of the shaft, and

'loosely mounted on said plain portion, and a driving connection encircling the shaft and operatively connecting the shaft and gear.

15. A starter for engines comprising a shaft having a screw-threaded portion and a plain portion, a driving member screwthreaded upon said threaded portion, a gear loosely mounted on said plain portion, and a spring forming a driving connection between the shaft and gear.

-16. A starter for engines comprising a shaft having a screw-threaded portion and a plain portion, a driving member screwthreaded upon said threaded portion, a gear loosely mounted on said plain portion, and a yielding driving connection located in the line of power transmission between the gear andthe pinion.

17. A starter "forengines comprising a shaft having a screw-threaded portion and a plain portion, a driving member screwthreaded upon said threaded portion, a gear loosely mounted on said plain portion, and a driving connection operatively connecting the shaft and gear, the shaft being mounted for longitudinal sliding movement through the gear.'

18. A starter for engines comprising a shaft having plain bearing ends andan intermediate screw-threaded portion, a driving member screw-threaded upon such threaded portion, a gear mounted on the plain portion of the shaft, and a yielding driving connection between said gear and shaft, the shaft being mounted for longitudinal sliding movement through the gear.

VINCENT BENDIX.

Witnesses:

S. E. KIBBEN, ROBERT DOBBERMAN. 

